Glass-furnace.



S. B. HENSHAW.

GLASS FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 6,1913. v 1,127,245, Patented Feb. .2 1915.

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GLASS FURNACE. APPLICATION FILED OUT. 6, 1913.

1,127,245. Patentd Feb. 2, 1915.

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Specification of Letters Batent.

Fatented .1"

. 4 'g liqation iiled Gcto'ber 55, 19B. Serial No. '?33,59 63.

wow whom it may concern:

Be it known thetl, SETH B HENsnAw, e

offllherleston, West Vir inia, have invented certain, Improvements In Glass-Furnaces,

l of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that cless of glass furnaces in which attube of glass, usually of cylindrical form, is drawn from themass of molten glass in the furnace tank" through an opening of the-proper shape in'a roof or cover of said tank.

Some of the features of my invention are especially applicable to that type of glass furnace in which a structure floating in the mass of molten glass has openings therein which can be caused to register with 'the opening in the cover, the glass being drawn first through an "openingin the floating structure and then through the opening in the cover.

One of the objects of my invention is] to effect the quick severance"df the" drawn,

tube of 'glassfrom the ma'ss'of molten 'glass in the body of the ffurnacetankor from that portion of the tube which is still'in connection with said molten mass, a further object being to simplify 'aiid improve the the molten mess, end a, still turtherobject being to insure the substantially uniform means for rotating {the floating structure in heating of the different p'ztrts of the ring members of said floating structure. These objects. I attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference bein he'd to the accompenying drawings'in w 'ich' Flgurel is a/topor plan view of part of a furnace of the type to' which my invention relates; Fi 2 is o vertical section on the- 'line ,H, ig. 1; Fig.3 is a top view of the floating, structure on a, somewhat ;'lerger scale than Figs. 1 and 2, and Fig. 4 is a, vertical section on the line b-b,Fig. 3.

In'thedrawinigs, 1 represents part of the.

wall of a glass furnace tankfand 2 a casing located above and projecting over suidtank and inclosing a working chamber which communicates with the glass in the tank through an opening 3 in the bottom of said casing 2; throu h w 'hich opening the tube of glass can be re wn.

The casing 2 cenbe supported above the tank by'eny suitable means, as for instance, by hooks Q'en'ga-ging linked which may depend from 'any "suitable permanent structureub'ove'the tankand thebottom of the casing- 'is formed in pertiby tiles or slabs 5,the inner ends of which c onstitute' part of the boundary of the opening 3.

Embeddedin the tiles 5 are a number of burner pipes 6 intended to be supplied with oil, ges or other inflammable fluid under pressurefwhich, when ignited at the tips of the burner tubes, will provide a-series of jets of flame projecting across the working chamber end serving to rapidlymeltthat portion of the gless tube-subjected to their action and thereby separate that portion of the'tube at and nearthe level of the molten mass from the portion of the tube above the opening 3, these flame; jets being, by preference, 'startedwhen a tube of the proper length has been drawn and being shut oil :du'ri ngthe drawing of the tube. A suitable velvet controls the flow of the'infiammeble fluid to the burner tubes 6. ;The burner tubes, also constitute a reinforcement for the slabs or ti1es 5, and prevent the dropping of any portion "of either of said tiles into the tank iii c'sise offracture. The cutting off of the tube or cylinder in this manner leaves no'hold glass, or tail as it is usual1yterrne'd, 'to-be subse uentlyrefined, thereby "greatlyfl improving he' quality of the product. The vOItJerzi tioIrr can, -moreover, be quickly and conveniently performed, whereas the cutting-oil operation'has hitherto beeii'the hottest end most arduous part of the work. 1

; lusting upon the moltenmass of glass in the tiink 'is'a structure'comprising a central spider 7 andeseries of-rings8 secured to and projecting .from the peripheral portion of said spider, as shown in Fig. 8, the spider being rotatable in the mass of molten glass, so that its rings 8 can be successively brought into register with the working chzii'nber opening-3, as set forth in the Letters Patent of -H. Douchamp, No. 979,935,

-of'fire clay or other refractory materiehe portioniof each ring being fitted to a concave recess in the periphery of thespider and being provided with a dovetailed tenon objections likely to arise from the heating of one pbrtion of the ring to atemperature considerably higher than another portion of the same. j

The-spider 7 has a central upwardly projecting boss'll, having therein an oblong recess 12 for the reception of a correspondingly shaped blade .13 which thus constitutes a wrench for turning the spider and its rings. The blade 13 depends from a vertical shaft 14:, which may be provided with any suitable means for rotating the same, the blade having at its upper end a socket l5 recessed for the reception of the lower end of the shaft 14; to which it may be secured by 'a transverse pin- 16 or other suitable means. I 1

The blade 13 is composed of metal, and in order to protect the same from the intense heat inthe working chamberiof the furnace as Well as to prevent any particles of rust or scale from falling therefrom into the mass of molten glass in the tank, the boss 11 has, at the top, a sleeve 17, prefer ably of the same refractory material as the spider 7, this sleeve surroundingthe wrench 13 and being of sufficient diameter to receive within it any particles of scale or rust which may fall from said wrench, its sockets 15 or shaft 14:. The wr ench 13, moreover, engages the boss 11 more effectively than the external socket wrench employed in the machine of the Douohamp patent before referred to, and is ofless weight and bulk than said socket wrench, and moreover, is of less dimensions than the boss 11, consequently if there is any slight lateral displacement of the spider 7 while the same isbeing turned said boss 11 will contact with the casing 2 and there will be no scale-dislodging contact of the wrench with said casing, or of the latter with the protective sleeve 17 and consequent risk of breakage of said sleeve. The sleeve '17 although mounted upon and rotating with the spider 7 is separate therefrom and if broken or otherwise rendered incapable of performing its proper function can be readily replaced without the necessity of renewing the entire spider.

In th present instance I have shown the rotatable spider as provided with three pro ecting rings, but it may have more or less than thisnumber of rings, if desired.

I claim:

1. The combination of a glass furnace having a working chamber casing which projects over the mass of molten glass and has an opening therein through which the glasscan be drawn, tiles constituting part of said casing, and burner pipes embedded in said tiles and discharging from the inner ends of the same across said opening.

'2. The combination, in a glass furnace, of a structure floating in the mass of molten glass and comprising a central spider, and ring members carried thereby andprojecting therefrom, said spider having recesses in those portions in which the ring members are seated, thereby permitting access of the molten glass to those portions of the ring members which cover said recesses.

3. The combination of a glass furnace having a working chamber casing which projects over the mass of molten glass and has an opening therein through which the glass can be drawn, and means for projecting flame jets across said opening, a rotatable structure floating in the massof molten glass and having openings therein which, as the structure is rotated, are successively brought into line with the drawing opening of the furnace, said structure having a socket therein, a wrench for engaging said socket to turnthe structure, and a detachable tubular shield of refractory material surrounding and protecting that portion of the wrench which would otherwise I be acted upon by the flame jets projecting which, as the structure is rotated, are suc- 1 cessively brought into line with the drawing opening of the furnace, said structure having a socket therein, a wrench for engaging said socket to turn the structure, and a sleeve of refractory material separate from the rotatable structure but mounted upon and rotating with the same, said-sleeve surrounding that portion of the wrench which is in the path of the flame jets pro ected across the drawing opening ofthe furnace.

5. The combination, in a glass furnace, of a rotatable structure floating in the mass of molt-en glass, said structure having a pres-1 name is this specifietime in the presence jecting boss with recess therein, a retatable 0* we su'mseribing witnegssea shaft having a, member for engaging gifikqqg B 1 recess, and a sleeve of refractery material 5, extending upwardly from said boss and 5113- Wiiaarounding said engaging member.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my Lopies of this patent may be obtained for five centscaefa, 5:3; he Gemmissiwer of Patents Washingten, ii. 

